


I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends

by LadyMorgaine76



Series: Much Ado About Watford [3]
Category: Carry On Series - Rainbow Rowell
Genre: Anxiety Disorder, Bad Decisions, Caring, Drunkenness, Family Dynamics, Heartache, M/M, References to Depression
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-21
Updated: 2020-09-21
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:53:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26586172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyMorgaine76/pseuds/LadyMorgaine76
Summary: A drunken Dev tends to make stupid decisions...Baz and Simon to the rescue!
Relationships: Dev/Niall (Simon Snow), Tyrannus Basilton "Baz" Pitch/Simon Snow
Series: Much Ado About Watford [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1653943
Kudos: 21





	I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends

**Baz**

"Phone…" Simon's voice slurrs into my ear and I squint my eyes open. Indeed my phone is ringing on the nightstand.

And I know that ringtone.

Depeche Mode's Enjoy The Silence. Which is an in-joke, because Dev tends to be fucking exhausting on the phone…

Hence my preference for text messages.

I release myself from Simon's embrace and sit on the bed, telling him to go back to sleep before picking up my cousin's call.

"Dev, someone better be dying because it's one in the fucking morning and we'd just fallen asleep!" I snarl at him, closing the bedroom door and walking toward the sofa in our living room ("Our" living room. In "Our" flat.) (It's a recent development. One I'm thoroughly enjoying.)

"Baaaaz...buddy...mate…. I'm.. I'm so…" He giggles and hiccups. 

Oh, no…

He's drunk…

"Dev? Where are you?" My mind starts going fast as lightning. I'm rushing to the desk in the corner, turning on the laptop. 

"M'on Camden." He answered me with a giggle like that piece of information should have been obvious to me…

"What the fuck are you doing in Camden?"

"Havin a couple beers with some Uni friends, why? 'M I not allowed to have fun?"

Camden… shit… that's over twenty minutes away by car!

"Where exactly in Camden?"

"Lemme see...is...is...uh... The Ice Wharf! Yup. That's it!"

The Ice Wharf. I know where that is.

I need to go get my idiotic cousin and save him from himself, apparently…

"Dev?"

"Yeah…?"

"Did you take your medication, today?"

"I did."

"And you still thought it was a brilliant idea to mix alcohol with diazepam? Fuckin'... Ugh… Just. Stay there. Don't. Go. Anywhere. I'm coming to get you." I turn off the computer and rush back into the bedroom. 

"Simon? Love?" I lean on him, shaking him gently awake. He gives me a wide smile that would completely make me melt if I wasn't absolutely worried about Dev.

"Hey…" He must see the worry in my demeanour, because his own expression changes and he's instantly sitting up. "What's wrong, love?"

"Dev's drunk. He thought it to be a great fucking idea to get completely sozzled!" I go to the wardrobe and start pulling out clothes for both of us. "I'm sorry I have to wake you, but I need your help to come and get him."

He's up in a second and getting hold of the sweater and jeans I threw onto the bed.

"Where is he?"

"Camden."

"That's about half an hour from here!"

"Twenty minutes…" I allow myself to smirk at him.

"Show off." He chuckles. "And in the mood to get a speeding ticket."

"Whatever gets me faster to Dev."

I spell his wings and we're out the door. All I can think of is my cousin drunk in the middle of Camden… I hope he at least stayed where I told him to. He has a tendency to just take off and roam around aimlessly in the rare occasions that he drinks to excess.

He's usually quite responsible about his medication. 

I don't know what to do…

I can only go get him and think this whole mess through after getting him in bed. 

A goodnight sleep is what he needs…

So did I, but that's not happening anytime soon.

We get on the Porsche and I drive away. I hand Simon my mobile so he can keep Dev talking. Keep him focused and preferably stay put! Somehow my dear Simon managed to convince Dev to read him the cocktail menu affixed at the club's door! That will keep my cousin occupied until we finally get there.

I step on the accelerator and in no time I see my daft cousin holding onto the phone and pointing at the menu. He did take Simon's request quite seriously, I guess…

I park the car and we rush to him. Dev receives us with a wide smile, throwing himself into our arms, enveloping both Simon and me in a crushing hug. (Being drunk does not take away any of his strength... unfortunately…)

"Heeeeey, guyssss… you'ere! Wanna go fo' a beer?" He throws at us, like that would be a wonderful idea as it is…

"No, Dev. We are here to drag your sorry, drunken arse away from here!" I start pulling him into the car when suddenly my cousin's demeanour changes into something akin to pain, or regret, or both…

"Ah...purrrrfect… 's jus' wat I need…" And he escapes my light grasp of him to go across the street.

Simon and I follow him, both curious on what brought about this mood swing. (as I mixing his pills with alcohol wouldn't be excuse enough for it… )

"Dev!!" I called him. "Where are you going?"

Dev stops in front of a wide window adorned with skulls, roses and other designs that leave no doubt as to what it is.

"'S a tattoo palor... shit… purlor? No, no, no…  _ parlor! _ Yeah… 'S it! 'M gonna ge'me a tatt, Baz…"

Lovely!

Just what I needed on a Friday night...

"You're fucking drunk, Dev!" I remind him.

"I am…" Dev smiles like he doesn't see anything wrong with his reasoning.

Simon reaches Dev and throws his arm around my cousin's shoulders, keeping him in place, but also avoiding him falling face first on the pavement.

"Don't get a bloody tattoo when you're drunk, mate…" I wonder how Simon manages to keep himself so calm.

"Why? Uh? 'S my money…" Dev tries to argue. I'm quickly starting to lose my patience with him.

"Because you'll regret it in the morning." Besides, I don't think responsible tattoo artists do tattoos on drunk people anyway. "Listen, I'll drag you back into the car kicking and screaming if I have to! You're my cousin. I'm certain I'm technically allowed to do that if only to save you the embarrassment tomorrow morning."

"Well, fuck you, Baz." Dev is also starting to lose it. This is not good.

Not good at all...

"Dev… come on… you asked me to come pick you up, remember? Just… let me take you home." O take his face in my hands, trying to force him to look into my eyes. To focus. 

His eyes change. They're reddened now. The pain is too much and I can see he's as close to tears as I've ever seen him since we stopped being children.

"Gon get a tattoo, Baz…" His slurring gets worse. "A tattoo that reads 'you fucking blew it', but backwards, so it'll be the first thing I see in the mornin'. So I know…"

Of course…

This is still all about Niall going to study abroad.

We noticed the change in Dev after Niall left for Germany.

I think we understood what was happening even before my cousin accepted  _ that _ was happening!

This was the meltdown…

This was the hurt of absence being too much. He's lost to it. 

It's up to me to shake him out of that stupor, I guess...

"Siegfried and fucking Roy, Dev! You didn't blow it! Because you didn't even fucking try! Did you at least call him? Uh? Well, did you? Fucking call him! Talk to him! Do something!"

Anything will be better than commiserating himself over losing something he didn't even have to begin with.

"For what?" He shakes himself off Simon's hug. His frustration is almost palpable. "For Niall to say 'No' to me?"

Every. Single. Fucking. Time.

He gives up before even trying.

Sometimes he needs to be pushed into taking the first step…

Reminds me of someone.

"You don't know that! If there's an arse who knows a thing or two about not talking, not sharing his feelings, that arse is me! Don't you fucking dare to follow on my footsteps!"

Simon snorts and I can hear his mumbled  _ "The understatement of the year…" _ . I glare at him.

It's a silent reminder that he sucks at talking about his feelings the same as me.

It's a work in progress…

Dev actually seems to quiet down enough to be peacefully herded into the car.

"What a night…" Simon chuckles. He looks at my now asleep cousin on the backseat. "Think he's gonna be alright?"

I shrug.

"The hangover was already going to be hard, but who knows what it's going to be like mixed with his anxiety medication…"

"Don't you have any spells to help him with that?" 

I smile at that. It took some time for Simon to allow us to talk about magic in front of him, much more talk about it himself.

He's getting better.

_ We're _ getting better.

"For the hangover, yes. But there's nothing I can do to avoid him feeling down tomorrow. That's just how it is!"

The way Dev is right now, we decide that taking him to our apartment is the best solution. He can stay in the guest room and tomorrow we can handle his hangover, grumpy self.

**Dev**

Hangovers are supposed to give you a headache, or so everyone keeps saying…

Bollocks!

What they do to me is make me feel like I've been bedridden with some bad illness, along with making my stomach hurt. Mainly because I clearly remember throwing up all I had on my stomach… and the two subsequent cups of fennel and chamomile tea Baz and Simon made me drink.

Breakfast was a  _ joy _ !

Digestives and Earl grey…Ugh…

They mean well and I do thank them for coming to my rescue (rescue from my own stupidity, by alas!) and stopping me from barging into a tattoo parlor.

Right now I'm waiting for the clock to say it's been thirty minutes without even feeling nauseous. After that, it's medication time!

I can't believe I mixed my pills with alcohol again… what a twat!

Like clockwork, my cousin marches in with a glass of water and my meds.

"Called your doctor." He announces, deadpan. "She said you need to take these ones for two weeks also."

He hands me my familiar round blue pill, accompanied with an oval one.

I grimace.

"Sertraline?" 

"Yes."

"That's gonna make me sleepy for the first three days!"

"I know." He shruggs.

"I hate it…" I still take the damn pills.

"You had a meltdown, Dev. This is serious!"

"I know… I'm sorry…"

"Don't…" He stops me. "You're not a burden. You're my best friend, besides being family. I've done this once, I'll do it whenever you need me to."

"Thank you… and Simon too. He's a good bloke. I'm happy you two solved things out."

Baz smiles widely, something that happens more and more now. 'side effect' of dating Simon, I guess…

You can't date a human ray of sunshine without some of his light reflecting on you, right?

"Get some rest. Get better. Then we'll talk about what you are going to do to solve things out with Niall."

"And if he doesn't want me?"

"You don't know that." Baz sits by my side on the bed. "Let's not suffer by anticipation, shall we?"

"Fine…" I shoo him away. "Now, let me go back to sleep. Wake me up when it's time for lunch."

"Will do."

I open an eye and gaze at him seriously.

"Is Simon cooking?"

Baz laughs at that.

"Yes. Dessert too."

"Good…"

I close my eyes and allow myself to fall into that wonderful slumber that takes away my worries and fears.

Yeah, life sucks…

But not always!

  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
